


glitter and gold

by enbyofdionysus



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College AU, Fluff, M/M, Mortal AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-15 16:11:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9243494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enbyofdionysus/pseuds/enbyofdionysus
Summary: There's a cute guy at the library.Nico's noticed him countless times. It's hard not to: he takes up the entire table in the back corner with his coffee cups and medical textbooks, muttering under his breath and soundlessly tapping out vocab words on his jean-clad thighs for memorization.





	

There's a cute guy at the library.

Nico's noticed him countless times. It's hard not to: he takes up the entire table in the back corner with his coffee cups and medical textbooks, muttering under his breath and soundlessly tapping out vocab words on his jean-clad thighs for memorization. It makes Nico glad that his fascination with death never led to a want for a degree in mortuary science; Cute Guy looks like hell most days.

Still, there are days when he doesn't look like hell. When his eyes are bright and his hair is golden under the artificial lights rather than drab with unwashed grease. When he bites his lips with a smile at something another med student says at some study group. When he comes back from vacation and his skin is three shades darker. When he gets too into the music in his headphones and he makes little dance movements in his chair. When he shows up in sweats and threadbare band t-shirts that leave little to Nico's imagination.

It paints Nico's day just a little bit brighter to see him there every day from five to ten in the same spot doing the same thing like some kind of College Ritual for the god of caffeine. And sure, there have been times when Nico could have asked him for his number or even his name, times when he's caught Cute Guy's eye and deflated in his chair because Cute Guy smiled one of his sunshine smiles. But Nico knows better and not because he's had bad experiences with men (although he has).

He knows better because he's seen Cute Guy's boyfriend.

He's there, now, at the table: some round-faced, curly-haired blond Nico recognizes as Puck from their school's recent production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He's been there multiple times, doing nothing much but keeping Cute Guy company, sitting way too close and muttering things to himself Nico can't hear but knows are probably theatrical lines.

Nico has never seen them kiss, but he knows they're together based off this thing that they do when they greet each other in the library – a disgusting display of affection consisting of pressing their noses together and closing their eyes. It makes Nico sick.

And also makes him want.

Nico glances up from his midterm paper on Milton. He's been working on the same thing for the past couple of days now that the semester is ending and between reading about the love between Adam and Eve and seeing the love between Puck and Cute Guy as they study together – it makes something sour in the low of Nico's gut. Puck is scribbling notes on a piece of paper and Nico stares a little too long at his bicep before yanking his eyes away and onto Cute Guy whose full lips are moving startlingly fast to some song playing in his ear-phones. Nico watches him idly.

And then their eyes catch.

Nico's heart stops. Cute Guy's eyes are a warm brown. Why are his eyelashes so fucking lo–

Nico looks back at his notebook and frantically writes about the relationship between Adam and Raphael if only to appear busy. But when he glances back up again a few minutes later, Cute Guy's eyes are still on him, his lips around the end of a pen. He smiles when he catches Nico's eye again, but not a smile that matches his eyes.

Nico looks away again, flushing hot. But the avoidance of his eyes doesn't deter Cute Guy. Not this time.

“Hey,” someone not-whispers.

Nico jerks his head up and around – no one else is in the library – before his eyes fall back on Cute Guy's.

Puck himself has looked up from where he'd been highlighting a passage. He looks from Cute Guy to Nico and ah, jeez – to have both of them looking at him at the same time, like some kind of surfer white boy porno...

Nico swallows hard.

“What's your name?” Cute Guy asks.

Puck glances between the two of them again, but he looks curious, not jealous. Nico notices his dimples.

“Nico,” Nico whispers back.

“I'm Will,” says Cute Guy. He gestures to his boyfriend. “This is Pollux.”

Nico awkwardly fidgets with his pencil beneath the table. “Hi.”

The amount of confident interest in Will's expression is intimidating. But Nico can't make himself look away.

“Do you,” he asks, “wanna get coffee with us in a little bit? For a study break?”

From Will it feels like a scandalous question. He glances at Pollux at the 'us'.

Will doesn't miss it. He shrugs, nonchalant. “We've noticed you here a lot and think you're really cute.”

 _We_ think...

Nico's definitely pink now. He looks at Pollux who offers a shy smile and oh, that's why they're dating.

 _We_ think...

Will begins to say, “Unless you're not–”

Nico finishes with, “Okay.”

Pollux, amazingly, looks the most excited. His own honey-colored eyes light up. “Okay?”

Nico's heart is stammering, but he finally smiles. “Yeah.”

“ _SHHH_ ,” a librarian spits.

As one they sink into their seats and bite their lips.

Then look at each other like they have been for the past month. And grin.

It's a date.

 


End file.
